Healing, Dreaming, Nature and the Nature of Reality

The August 2015 New Moon: Relax!

The new moon on August 14th, at 3.53pm BST, is the easiest we’ve had for a while. In the full moon report for July 31st we looked at the fiery qualities of the sun in Leo, and how it relates to our capacity to shine as our authentic self. Then, of course, the moon opposed the sun from Aquarius. This time the sun and moon are together in Leo, beginning a lunar cycle imbued with the creativity and optimism natural to that sign.

(Of course, if you’re thinking, ‘Well I’m a Leo, and I don’t feel creative and optimistic’, bear in mind that your sun sign is just one feature on the complex map of your chart. Nevertheless, it’s one that, to be fully yourself, you will need to find and express.)

This sun and moon are also conjunct Venus, the planet ruling pleasure, love, money and victory. So if you’ve got any intentions along those lines, now’s the time to act! But there’s a serious side to this, as Venus continues it’s retrograde journey for the time being. This brings a deeper, more introspective quality to these areas of our lives. There may be renewed contacts with previous partners, and issues from former relationships, including friendships, coming up again to be resolved. Venus can also show us where our capacity to love ourselves needs more work.

No shortage of excitement on the agenda, though. With sun, moon and Venus all trining Uranus, this is a great time for experimenting with a new approach to your life, values and relationships. New love affairs begun now may offer liberating experiences and bring valuable teaching, but they won’t necessarily last. Uranus loves the thrill of the new, it craves freedom and ideas. But it’s not an emotional planet, and tenderness just isn’t its thing.

The waxing part of the lunar cycle, the two weeks between new and full moon, are the time for initiating new projects and putting your brilliant ideas into practice. If there’s something you want to begin, ideally take that step a day or two after the new moon is exact. Keep an eye out for the first tiny sliver of light in the western sky just after sunset, then set your plans in motion.

As I write on the 13th, the old lunar cycle is closing. Its energy has almost run down. This is not a good time to get anything off the ground. If you’re feeling impatient for something to happen, don’t worry, it’s the same for us all. Learn the ancient art of biding your time. This is the quiet spell, before the next outflow of energy. And I suggest you don’t rush at things as soon as the new moon occurs. Traditionally, this time of darkness is seen as an unstable time. Best to wait a little, until that first moonlight appears, and the next cycle is fully under way.